Car-brake.



No. 653,722. Patented July I7, I900.

H. J. WILLIAMS &. W. MORGAN.

R. MORGAN, Administratrix of W. MORGAN, Decd.

GAR BRAKE.

(Applicahion filed Mar. 18, 1900.) (No Model.)

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NITED STATES PATENT Orrica.

HOPKINS J. WILLIAMS AND RACHEL MORGAN, ADMINISTRATRIX OF IVILLIAM MORGAN, OF NANTIOOKE, PENNSYLVANIA.

CAR-BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 653,722, dated July 17, 1900.

Application filed March 16,1900- Serial No. 8,905. momma.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, HOPKINS J. WILLIAMS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Nanticoke, in the county of Luzerne and State of Pennsylvania, and WILLIAM MORGAN, deceased, late a citizen of the United States and a resident of the same place, did invent a new and useful Oar-Brake, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to car-brakes, and more particularly to those upon cars which are used for transporting ore or similar material and on which the brakes are operated by means of suitable levers.

The invention has for its object to provide such a car with a brake which can be operated by hand or foot, or both, and which will include a system of levers by means of which the power from the main lever can be very materially increased when applied to the wheels of the car.

It also consists in so constructing the parts that they will be very strong and durable and can be easily applied to the ordinary car and will not be liable to be broken or get out of order.

With these objects in view the invention consists in the improved construction and novel combination of parts of such a carbrake, as will be hereinafter more particularly set forth, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which the same reference-numerals indicate corresponding parts in each of the views.

Figure l is a side elevation of a car provided with the improved brake, some of the parts being partially shown in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the same.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 indicates the body of the car, which may be of any approved construction, provided with the sills 2 2-and the usual wheels 3 3, journaled thereto. Journaled to the sills intermediate the wheels is a rock-shaft at, each end of which projects a slight distance beyond its bearings and is preferably formed angular and provided with a removable casting 5. Arms 6 6 are bolted in sockets 7 in the casting and extend a short distance there from. A bail-shaped lever 8 is pivotally secured to the sides of the sills at a point slightly above and intermediate the ends of the arms 6 and the shaft 4, as shown at 9. A short link 10 is pivotally secured to each side of the lever a short distance from its pivotal point and also to the outer end of the arm 6 upon that side of the car. The lever can be formed in any suitable manner, although it is preferred to bend each of the side pieces inwardly to form a lip 11, to which is bolted a cross-piece 12, which is grasped by the attendant and forced downwardly when it is desired to apply the brake.

The brake-shoes 13 are pivotally secured at their upper ends to the inner side of the sills in position to be forced against the peripheries of the different wheels. Each of the shoes is connected with the rock-shaft 4 by means of a link 14, which is pivotally secured to the shoe at one end by means of a projection 15 and secured at its opposite end to a short arm 16, which projects from the shaft at, substantially in a line with the shoe and the periphery of the wheel. The arms at each end of the rock-shaft project in diametricallyopposite directions, so that the links from the shoes upon the opposite sides of the lever can be secured to said arms in such manner that the oscillation or rocking of the shaft will simultaneously move the brakeshoes toward or from the wheels. By constructing the parts in this manner the arms and links virtually form the two members of a toggle-joint by means of which the pressure or force exerted by the compound-lever movements above described will be correspond ingly increased, thus making the improved brake very effective in controlling the movement of the car, which is a very material consideration when the weight of the contents of the car is taken into consideration, which is frequently a ton or more, which must be wholly controlled by pressure applied to wheels of exceedingly-small diameter.

In using the ore-cars they are pushed along the track by an assistant,who generally stands upon the bottom of the car in passing over the steeper grades and controls the movement of the car by means of the brake. In order to increase his power to apply the brakes, it is preferable that the car be provided with a foot-brake. This brake consists of a substantially U-shaped lever 17, which is pivotally secured at the bottom of the 'car by means of a bracket 18, and the longer arm of which lever projects above the bottom frame of the car, beneath the end of the lever 8, in position to be depressed by the foot of the attendant, the top of the lever being provided with a button or head 19 for that purpose. The shorter arm of the lever is pivotally connected to an arm 20 on the rock-shaft 4 by means of a link or rod 21. hen it is desired to apply the foot-brake, the attendant places his foot on the button and presses downward, which will cause the arms of the U -shaped lever to be swung to the rear,which movement will be conveyed to the rock-shaft through the link 21 and from there through the links 10 to the brake-shoes. The arm 20 projects from a point on the rock-shaft intermediate the arms-16 and preferably in alinement therewith and nearer one side thanthe other, so that the lever 17 may be located at one side of the frame out of the way or standing-room of the attendant upon the end of the car.

As above described, it will be seen that a car provided with the improved brake can be very easily controlled, as when it is passing down a slight grade the attendant can place his foot upon the foot-brake and apply sufficient power to control the car without having to stoop down far enough to grasp the hand-lever, which is located below the top of the car, so as to be out of the way in handling and loading. Whenever the grade is so steep that the car cannot be controlled by the footlever, the assistant, with or without releasing his foot from the foot-brake, can grasp the hand-lever and by forcing it down can thereby set the brakes, so as to control the car on the steepest grade of the track upon which the-car will be used. By suspending the brake-shoes from the sill of the car the drawing or pulling strain of the wheel against the brake is entirely removed from the rock-shaft, and thereby the parts are not so liable to be broken as would be the case if the brake-shoes were carried and supported wholly by the ends of the links or arms extending from the rock-shaft. should become worn or broken and need to be replaced, they can be easily removed and a new member inserted without disturbing any of the'other parts of the brake.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States, 1s-

In a car-brake, the combination, with a wheel-supported car, of a shaft journaled transversely across the bottom thereof between the wheels, each end of which projects beyond the sides of the car and the intermediate portion is provided with two pairs of oppositely-extending arms and with a single arm, a bail-shaped lever pivotally secured to the sides of the car, the central portion of which extends beyond one end of the car, two arms secured to the ends of the shaft, a link for connecting the end of each arm with the bail-shaped lever adjacent to its pivotal point, brake-shoes suspended from the car, links for connecting the ends of the pairs of arms with the respective shoes, a substantially U-shaped foot-lever pivotally secured to the under side of the end of the car, the outer end of which projects beyond the end of the car under the bail-shaped lever, and a rod secured to the inner end of the foot-lever and to the single arm on the shaft.

HOPKINS J. WILLIAMS.

RACHEL MORGAN,

Administratrizn of the estate of William Morgan, deceased.

\Vitnesses:

J. M. FRITZ, S. L. TEDDER.

If at any time any of the parts 

